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Arthur d'al Havenport
Arthur d'al Havenport is the Duke of Havenport and the Colonel of the Kentauri Highlanders. He served as Councillor-Militant and Lieutenant-General of the King's Army during the second half of the Dozen Years War. Personality Arthur is stern, blunt, and serious, known for his aggressive talent and his hot temper. There was once a time when he preferred to lead from the front, fighting amongst his men, but that changed shortly before Blogia. Biography Early Life Arthur was born in 573 OIE. He once went on a tour of Antar with his brother Marcus and their father, who temporarily served as Head of the Foreign Office. Family Ties Arthur's sister married King Edmund IV. She is the mother of King Miguel I and Princess Isobel, making Arthur their uncle. Arthur also appears to have a difficult relationship with his brother, Marcus. Military Career Arrival in Antar Havenport most likely arrived at Noringia in 602, with the rest of the Highlanders. He quickly proved himself to be an aggressive and ferocious leader who excelled at offensive actions, often fighting in the thick of it with his men. Eventually the Duke of Wulfram took note of his talents and promoted him to General-of-Brigade. The Battle of Blogia During the Battle of Blogia in 607, Havenport was assigned a brigade on the army's left flank. Before the battle, he made the uncharacteristic decision of commanding from the rear rather than from the front. Havenport's brigade was the first to engage the enemy, when the 2nd battalion of the 11th of foot fired a volley into the approaching Antari. This led to a chain reaction, as the rest of the battalions down the line assumed they were supposed to open fire as well, but the premature firing turned out to be for the best as it was still sufficient to drive the Antari back before they could close into melee range. Havenport then adopted an aggressive approach, ordering his reserve battalions to fix bayonets and advance forward whenever the enemy were about to tire. After the enemy withdrew, he would withdraw his reserves and send his original frontline battalions forward again. When Wulfram died, Havenport assumed command of the Tierran Army - a process made easier by his decision to stay out of direct combat - and ordered a fighting retreat. The Duke of Cunaris led his Royal Dragoons in a flanking charge against the Antari Infantry, giving Havenport's Brigade time to redress their ranks. After leaving the Antari army exhausted, the survivors of the Tierran Army then withdrew from the field. Post-Blogia Havenport replaced Wulfram as Councillor-Militant and Lieutenant-general. He objected when King Miguel took personal command of the army, but Miguel overruled him. Miguel then made the decision to split the army in two: while the King's Division marched north, Havenport's Division would go west and capture the fortified port city of Kharangia. The Siege of Kharangia Havenport's army set up camp outside the city in 609, but initially saw little success, as his artillery lacked sufficient firepower to form a breach in the walls. Local partisans had also proved problematic. Eventually new siege guns arrived, designed by Edmund Garing, and the tide turned. With these guns, the Duke was finally able to breach Kharangia's walls, and began preparing an assault: personally touring the siege trenches and inspecting the men. Believing that the Kentauri Highlanders and the Royal Dragoons were the only regiments in his army suited for heavy combat, it was decided that the Highlanders would be part of the first wave while the Dragoons would be in the second. Marcus volunteered to lead the Forlorn Hope, but Arthur refused, on the basis that Marcus was too important to risk losing. The city fell to the Tierran assault, with only six hundred casualties. The Sack of Kharangia After defeating the Antari, Havenport's army then proceeded to break discipline and start pillaging the city, looting homes and committing atrocities against the inhabitants. This went on for three days before Havenport finally decided to intervene. He constructed a gallows in the main square, and threatened to hang one looter every hour until the army was brought back under discipline. Nine hours later, the looting stopped. Prince Boleslaw then handed the city's seal to Havenport in a formal ceremony, officially surrendering the city. The Second Battle of Kharangia Havenport had spent the next two years at Kharangia, which was converted into the Tierran army's main base of operations. The bridges across the River Kharan were torn down. In 611, the King's Division left Mhillanovil and arrived at Kharangia via barge, where it was absorbed back into Havenport's army, in preparation for Khorobirit's attack. Havenport then proceeded to fortify the river, setting up earthworks, banetraps, and artillery. Khorobirit then attempted to cross the river with over 40,000 men. While Havenport's infantry and the guns of the Royal Tierran Navy held the Antari off, the cavalry under Sir Louis-Auguste d'al Palliser were ferried across the river on barges, where they launched a flanking charge against the enemy, finally breaking them. The March to Octobirit Havenport attempted to march directly into the Central Plains, but the Oberlinders ravaged his supply lines, forcing him to instead advance along the coast and capture port towns to ensure a steady stream of supplies. The Antari raised one final army to defeat the Tierrans, but rather than engage it in battle, Havenport instead chose to retreat. He burned all the farms and poisoned all the wells in the enemy's path, causing the Antari to eventually succumb to attrition. The war ended in 613, when Antar finally surrendered. Quotes